It’s 8.00pm on
Commute Day minus 1. Make sure the chain is oiled, BLT lead-acid battery is
fully charged, rear panniers on the bike and gear organised for the next day. I
know that if I don’t prepare for it the previous evening then the ride to work
just won’t happen.

The alarm jerks me
out of my sleep at 5.00am. Straight out of bed, drink a large glass of water and
then into bike riding gear. (My reasoning for the early start is that there is
only one male shower for 10 floors of office workers and I don’t want to be the
one who is standing around waiting for another person to have a shower first. So
far my system has worked for me.)

Kiss goodbye to my
still sleeping wife, some leg stretches and I’m on the road by 5.45am from my
home in the township of Lauderdale, 20km east-south-east of Hobart.

The first part of
the ride takes me along the South Arm Road to Rokeby. This is not a particularly
pleasant section as the road is narrow, unlit, hilly and winding. Just as well I
travel lit up like a Christmas tree, with three Cateye flashing red lights,
large reflectors on the panniers, reflective safety “vest” and canary yellow (or
Aussie gold!!) Netti waterproof jacket with reflective strips. Fortunately, the
traffic is very light and most drivers are considerate enough to move over as
they pass me at 80kms/hr.

Rokeby Hill slows
me down to the granny gear (1 of 21) but by this time I’m on a side road
parallel to the main road until I reach a good, but short, bike track at the top
of Rokeby Hill. The next 6kms takes me at a comfortable pace through Howrah and
Bellerive, then around Kangaroo Bay, past Rosny College and through Montagu Bay
to the Tasman Bridge footpath.

This is where the
fun really begins! Although the climb to the top is always slow (8 – 9kms/hr), there
are frequently gale-force cross-winds to contend with. The path is only about
1.5m wide and there is a head-high rail on the outside and a
handlebar-high rail on the road side. Add to that the lamp posts and traffic
light poles that protrude into the path, emergency phone box covers, maintenance
gantries at head height and fire hydrants set into the track. This is definitely
an obstacle course. On a good day a speed of 50kms/hr is possible on the down
leg – a mighty adrenalin rush. Special care is needed at the western end of the
bridge as the next trap to be negotiated is a set of 25 down steps. Riders have
been known to career over them, not realising the steps are there. Fortunately,
warnings are now painted on the path. [The steps have since been replaced by a
ramp - much safer and not before time.]

After the bridge I
pick up the bike track between Glenorchy and Hobart and enjoy a good, fast run
into Hobart over the last 2 or 3kms.

The ride takes me
about 1 hour. On getting to work I take my bike up to the office, where it rests
all day, then I get a shower, have some breakfast (Weetbix, banana and a cup of
tea), read the local paper and am ready for work by about 8.00am.

The ride home is
either an exact return replica or, alternatively, an easier, but longer, ride
(25kms) along the Tasman Highway after the Tasman Bridge, almost to the Hobart
Airport then along Acton Road back to Lauderdale.

However, this route
has its own challenges because, at the eastern end of the Tasman Bridge I have
to cross two peak-hour lanes of 70km/hr traffic heading to Lindisfarne, then
cross two more lanes of traffic heading to Bellerive as I take the Airport
route. Further along the Tasman Highway I cross two 110km/hr slip roads that
lead eventually to Mornington and Howrah.

The highway has a
hard shoulder of about 2m that makes this a relatively safe “pit lane” once the
slip roads have been passed.

On Acton Road I am
again on an unlit, narrow and winding road. At this time of day (around 6.30pm)
many car-commuters are returning home so the traffic is generally heavy. I find
that people are usually very considerate, giving me plenty of room or holding
back momentarily for on-coming vehicles. I try to keep fairly close to the left
edge of the road, not wanting to antagonise motorists by riding in the centre of
the lane. I know there are different views on this practice but, then, I am also
a car driver when not riding my bike.

I aim to do this
‘commute’ twice a week year-round (Monday and Friday), combining it with a 3kms
early morning jog on Wednesday and two resistance gym sessions after work on
Tuesday and Thursday. Needless to say, sometimes theory and practice do not
coincide. But I reckon it’s better to have a plan and mostly stick to it than
not to have a plan at all and always stick to it.